How To Negotiate Salary With A Headhunter

Headhunters want to know exactly what you want. They may not always be able to get it for you, but if it’s reasonable, they will try to satisfy you (and the employer) to get the deal closed.

Question: I was thrilled when the recruiter called me with an offer today. I told him I’d think about it and get back with him. I’d like to ask for about 10% more, but I’m not very good at negotiating. Any suggestions?

Nick Corcodilos: I’m guessing the recruiter is a third party. That is, he’s an independent headhunter, not from the employer’s human resources department. If that’s the case, you’re golden because you don’t have to worry about negotiating with the employer directly.

The key is to know how headhunters think. They want one thing: to close the deal. They want a candidate like you and their client to agree to terms, so the headhunter can move on to his next assignment. Anything you and the client do to make the deal happen quickly will be met with glee by the headhunter. If you play this right, you’ll make the headhunter happy and he’ll help you get what you want.

What headhunters like least is a wishy-washy candidate who stretches out the negotiating process—and candidates who aren’t really sure they even want the job being offered. Headhunters want to know exactly what you want. They may not always be able to get it for you, but if it’s reasonable, they will try to satisfy you (and the employer) to get the deal closed. So if you make things black and white for this headhunter, he’ll love you.

Call him. Don’t use e-mail. Make it personal and make it immediate.

How To Say It **

• “This is an offer that I’d have to take some time to think about. I want the job, but I’m not sure I’d accept the salary. If it were 10% higher, however, I’d accept it on the spot. In fact, if you can get the offer raised by 10%, you don’t even need to call me back. You can tell them I accept. So tell me, what do you think?”*

If the headhunter thinks your number is nuts, he’ll tell you. Keep in mind: A good headhunter already knows what his client will and will not agree to. He won’t go back to his client with an unreasonable request. But he’s not likely to drop-kick you out of the deal either. He’ll try to convince you to take the offer as it stands, or he might tell you the best he can get is another 5%.

On the other hand, if he thinks there’s wiggle room in the offer, and if he knows you will definitely take an offer 10% higher, he’ll go to bat for you because you’ve told him clearly what it will take to close the deal. That is, you’ve already accepted if your request can be met.

When you arm a headhunter with a firm number that will guarantee your acceptance, you give him great power to close the deal. Make that commitment to him, and you’ll quickly find out whether the extra bucks are possible. Then it’s all up to the headhunter and his client.

While every negotiation involves the risk of losing the deal altogether, it’s a bit different when you’ve got a headhunter in the middle. The offer could still be withdrawn because of your request, but no headhunter I know would do that. He’ll either try to get you the money or explain why it’s not possible, thereby leaving you with the final choice.

For more on this topic, see “Salary Negotiations: Know When To Stop” and “How To Work With Headhunters.”